The Star Burns Atop the Tree
by L.E-Rae
Summary: Lance hadn't heard from Keith in sixteen years. Bumping into his old best friend at his village's annual Christmas festival was just one of many happy-accidents that occurred in the space of that chilling December month. Much like the fact that after the Kogane's family bus broke down, Lance invites them around to spend Christmas with him and his own family of three. Klance / Laith
1. Chapter 1 - Fire Stars

_**"To ask the right question is harder than to answer it."** _

_**-Georg Cantior** _

* * *

**Chapter One - Fire Stars**

The village was a small one, yet, still one of those that it took a long while to walk around. It was one of those, where most knew most names, families. It was much a community. And Lance loved places like these. His mother and other siblings lived down south, but he didn't mind. If anything, in the strangest way, it made him feel much more connected whenever he went down (or they came up). The only way he could think to describe it was like… _doughnuts_. If he ate them every day, he wouldn't like it as much than if he ate only once a year. It was a bad allegory, but he was _so_ hungry. And the sweet scent of festival food picking on his nostrils wasn't helping in the slightest. Actually, he wasn't even that famished. He just craved sugar. But setting a good example may've had to of come first…

Mateo's tiny, gloved fingers laced with his own, Marisa linking his and her arms on his right side. Against his exposed cheeks, December air licked his skin as it blew past, creeping in the gap between his neck and his woollen scarf, spreading across his skin like a lacy tide on a frigid winter beach. Their breaths were vapour, tip of Lance's nose numb with the whited song of the wind. Even as they squeezed between the crammed people on the festival grounds, it seemed that even the heat of the village and lapping flames of the bomb fire could not replenish his warmth as quickly as he lost it. As a rogue gust let loose in the field, Marisa gripped tighter into her father, seemingly pushing her curly locks from her eyes with his coated arm. Lance smiled.

They'd been making their way through the festival for a while, and after what seemed to be an endless search for the food stands, they finally found a space to breathe. Running a brief head count of only two, he knelt down to Mateo's eye-level, brushing some brown strands of hair from his brow, sorting his scarf which seemed to have crept up his face making him look a little like a bandit. "Okay you two,", he began, "do you want to grab drinks before the fireworks start?"

With a cheer from the younger and a, "yes please", from the other, Lance smiled warmly and attempted to pull the three towards the queue, but toppled over before he could grab his children's hands. As his back hit the ground, he thought he had stumbled on a rock, or a stray water bottle, but his shoulders kind of stung and it wasn't because of the fall. For a second, he had to squint away some stars collecting in his vision, before giving a proper look as to what had happened. There was no bright moon in the cloudless sky, instead, a reflection of strangely familiar, purple irises. The hair too, almost matching the sky with its matte-black appearance seemed to pull at something in the back of his mind. But it wasn't until the person sat up in a frantic blur, when the gears finally clicked.

"I'm so sorry!" The man held out his hand, squatted in front of him, "I should have watched where I was going- I-" He stopped and raised his eyebrow at Lance's shocked and downright confused expression, then, it seemed to physically hit him as well. " _Lance?_ "

"Yeah- uh. Keith?"

Keith stopped, a little taken back, pulling his hand away, more out of shock than anything else, but putting it back out once again when he realised the other still needed a lift off the floor. "Yeah."

Lance was on his feet with a sharp tug (which surprised him, since the last time he'd probably seen the raven-haired boy was when all he was, was skin and bone, barely able to lift a twig if he tried). Keith had changed so much over the years. For starters, there was a long burn scar, curling up from beneath his t-shirt, all the way up to his jaw. Which, had grown so much more chiselled, but that wasn't an important detail if you hadn't known him all the way through high school with the roundest baby-face of the whole year. Faint wrinkles of both frown and (adding to Lance's initial shock) _smile_ lines dented into their places on his naturally pale skin. But his _build_ , thin, muscly and ( _holy heck_ ) actually fricking _gorgeous_. And Lance briefly thought that was something he'd never think about Keith Kogane of all people but, _wow_. He must have had a massive glow up during collage or _something_ because, Lance had to give it to him, he might be just as (or even more) handsome _he_ was. Again, a thought he could have betted his life on that he would never say.

He wasn't sure if he was gaping. He sure _hoped_ he wasn't, and thankfully when he slingshot himself back to reality, Keith didn't seem creeped out in any way- so, that was always a good sign.

Lance had so many things to ask. Like, _'where have you been all these years?'_ , or, _'why did you leave?'_ , and, _'why didn't you tell us where you went?'_. But, his kids were there. And even though he'd moved on from his anger twelve years ago, some part of him still wanted to give the other a little interrogation. But, again, he couldn't: not in a public place like this. So he just settled with, "hey, man. What are you doing here? I don't think I've seen you since collage freshman year. You know, when Hunk dragged us to that café place, off the bowling alley?" Lance kept his voice as natural as he could muster, the questions still racing around his head.

Keith chuckled into his hand, which sent Lance's mind reeling because, _since when did he laugh so freely?_ "Yeah, I remember. Didn't you try to hit on that waitress and she actually refused to serve us?"

He cringed at the memory, "yeah… I think I tried to go back the next week and she'd banned me from entering the place."

Keith laughed at that, and Lance couldn't help catching on. It seemed contagious coming from the other man, and yet again, something he never thought he'd ever think.

"Dad!" Through the parting crowd, Lance noticed a slimmed hand wave and not-so-subtly shove its way against the people to make it through. Once she'd made it into the clearing, Lance had to blink twice to see what he'd thought he's really seen. A girl. Teenager, with thick, raven-coloured hair which should have reached just above her waist had it not been pulled up high in a ponytail. Her skin was so fair and pure, slightly more tanned than that of Keith's but that detail became harder to notice the dimmer the light began to shine. Her _eyes_ though. That was the detail which sold who she was referring to as she called out to her dad once again. Her eyes were just as pristine as that of her fathers: strikingly pigmented with the dark blue beaconing purple.

Then, again. Another hand, much smaller and younger trailing on behind who must have been her sister. The same coloured skin and hair however, it was cut much shorter into almost a thick, wilder, longer kind of pixie. The ends were dyed a faded electric blue, much similar to flashes in her eyes amongst the same stark purple. She looked between ten and twelve with a curvy, attractive figure much like that of her sister (obviously less defined, but still there). The edges around her face were much sharper than round like the older sibling. So, in that way, looked a lot like Keith.

Lance mentally cursed himself when the two daughters reminded him of his own two and began spinning around to make sure they were next to him. They should have been, since he'd fallen right next to them, and thankfully, they were. So he could wipe away the metaphorical nerves from his brow- since the air was far too chilling to ever make him really sweat. Marisa held her brother's hand and linked her arms once more with Lance's, staring questioningly between the two grown men, asking silently what was going on.

In the background the other two girls and bustled themselves between the other families stumbling to Keith's side with breathless giggles. The older one stopped when she saw Lance and gave the same looks as Marisa except tapping Keith on the shoulder and asking loudly, "who's this guy?"

Lance bit back a chuckle as Keith scolded her about manors, kind of being a hypocrite since young-Keith would have probably have been just as rudely blunt, if not, much worse. Something along the lines of, _"and who the heck are you?"_ , seemed to fit the man just right.

"Sorry about Olivia," Keith rubbed the back of his neck, "she can be a little…" Keith gave a sly side wards glance to the girl, "quick to jump."

"No, no. It's fine honestly. _I think I'm used to it."_

Keith smiled guiltily, but turned his gaze back to the girl- _Olivia_ \- and her sister, fiddling with the skin on his bare forearms.

Lance warmed slightly on the inside. No matter how much Keith seemed to change in Lance's eyes, it almost reassured him once he saw how awkward the man could still be when carrying on conversations. It brought him back to many times in high school when Hunk and Pidge would have to leave early for their chemistry class and the two had to make their way to math. Lance was a chatterbox, and still is to this day- just not as erratic as he used to. He had always prided himself on being the guy who would always know what to say when a conversation needed a heating back up, however Keith was always the exception. For most weeks, they'd have to remain in silence on that walk because Keith had the rare ability to find a way to shut Lance up. Sure, many people didn't like talking, Lance understood that. So most of the time, Lance would tell a long story about his family or just jabber on for ages about how watery the pasta was in the cafeteria, so in the end, all they'd have to do is walk and smile. But Keith could always shut him down as soon as he opened his mouth, and Lance had no clue why. He pinned it on the awkwardness the boy carried. The poor guy never really knew what to say whenever Lance would begin chatting so he kind of ignored him whenever the two were alone together. At least when Pidge and Hunk were there, someone would talk to the babble-mouth of a billion words and all he'd ever have to do was listen. Being alone with that jaw moving faster than the speed of light, was extremely daunting to a guy who even struggled introducing himself to friends of friends. But after a few weeks, Lance did finally catch on to what Keith was trying to say in his silences. Of course, with the help of ever-so-honest-Pidge, but it taught Lance to calm down a little: slow his pace. And eventually, Keith began dipping his toes into Lance's waters. And gradually, they began to talk closer as friends.

Sure, Keith would always be the awkward, feisty guy he was no matter how close they became. But it helped Lance learn how to control the other and himself; how to lead in the areas the raven-haired boy wasn't strong in. So, the silence between them in the present day didn't last long. All Lance simply had to ask was, "so, are these your two daughters?"

Lance didn't know the Keith now- he only knew the Keith back in high school really. But keeping a conversation with the other that would last a while only had to include two things: common ground and Lance asking all main the questions. Some could lose disinterest with the other man, thinking he was being 'rude and distant'. But Lance knowing Keith after all those years of parties, tests and family hardships, it would have been disappointing if he didn't know that it wasn't that Keith didn't like conversing, it's just that he didn't know _how_ to. Even after his thirty-five years on this ever-socially-active planet, the skill never seemed to set in. Hopefully, Lance was still right about this, even now.

"Yeah, Lance, this is Olivia,", he pointed to the girl from earlier, "and this is Peggy.", to the one with the short hair.

The two girls waved in unison exchanging, ' _hey_ 's' and ' _hello_ 's'. Lance, too, waved back.

"So, I'm guessing they're your two?" Keith knelt down to a level between the children attached to Lance's arms.

Lance hummed in conformation, "Marisa, Mateo, this is one of my old friends from high school, Keith."

Keith waved at the two, the six-year-old bubbling up on the spot in excitement of meeting a new person while the older just smiled back with her lips and a calm wave from her hand.

"What are you doing around here then? D'you move up or are you just here for the festival?"

"Err… both? Kinda? Well, we don't exactly _live_ here per say. Got a family bus we move around in."

Lance's eyes widened, "wow. That's really cool, dude! How'd you get your hands on something like that?!"

"Big inheritance and too many shifts at Bills." He laughed, "but she does us well, doesn't she girls?"

They both nodded their heads proudly.

Lance felt a slight stab for a second, "how long are you staying around for?"

"About two weeks/two weeks and a half. We've come down to see Shiro before we head west for Christmas. Didn't know I'd be seeing you again too."

"Yeah, well, surprise!" He made jazz hands which got a soft nudge of embarrassment out of Marisa, "we live just a five-minute walk from here. It's a good village, good school for these two so everything's smooth at the minute." He paused, "hope you don't mind me asking but, why haven't you three settled down?"

" _Four_ , actually." Peggy spoke up and stepped further forward with a nudge from Olivia, "there's me, Olivia, dad and another little sister. She's five. We can't settle down, can we, Dad? We have to move around because of the shows."

Lance smiled at how much better she was at talking than her father, "the… shows?"

Keith laughed sheepishly, "yeah, uh. We perform fire shows around the states. That's why we're here really."

 _So that's why they're in t-shirts…_ He briefly thought.

"Whoa. That's seriously the coolest thing I think you've ever done. Which isn't exactly _that_ hard to beat, since you're probably the biggest dork I know, but still. What happened to that astrophysics major at the Garrison?"

"You know, Lance? It's great how you're trying to set yourself up as if you're the cool one here, but remember _you_ got labelled the dork in the year book. I was the 'ninja' according to Scott Roberts."

"Yeah, but that's _Scott Roberts._ "

Keith turned to Marisa, "he says that but really, that guy was his role-model. Scott, with the perfect teeth and voice that _'simply makes all the angels sigh'_."

Marisa laughed hysterics into her hands and Lance gasped in mock offence.

It was then that Peggy bounced in with a sheet of realisation over her face, "ohhhhh. Wait, wait, wait- so this is _that_ Lance? The one who egged your principles house? In that case, it's a pleasure to meet you, Sir!"

Lance shook her out stretched hand with pride, "yup. That's me."

"Can I just say, you are a legend from what I've heard!"

Lance grinned slyly, looking back to Keith, "so, you talk about me a lot?"

Keith _'hmff_ ed' with his arms crossed across his chest, "only when telling them what _not_ to do."

Lance's jaw dropped to his toes with a theatrical gasp making Mateo giggle sunnily, but couldn't let out a comeback before the other interrupted to take the conversation back on track before they got too carried away, like usual.

"Oh, about that masters? I have it. And loads of other qualifications. I could get a real job if I wanted but I'd rather live on the edge for a while longer. Plus, it's not like the girls aren't at school."

"Yeah," Olivia rolled her eyes playfully, "if anything, it's harder than actual high school. He works us _way_ too hard."

"True. But you'll thank me one day."

"Pfft! You said that years ago! And I'm _still_ waiting for that day!"

"Give it 'til you're twenty-one. And _then_ you can yell at me."

"Fine!" Olivia turned to her younger sister, "Pegs? Remind me of this moment in four years and I'll tell you if he's telling the truth."

Peggy smirked devilishly and shook her sisters outstretched hand, "deal!"

Keith brooded at the sight of his girls ganging up against him and it looked like he was going to say something until a blond woman with overly-applied makeup came up behind him and tapped his shoulder. She whispered something inaudible into his ear which made his eyes light up and check the watch around his wrist.

Lance cocked an eyebrow once the woman left into the sea of people, and he noticed they all seemed to gradually move over towards where a big stage lay with a few contraptions set up on it. He looked back to Keith who was telling something to Olivia and Peggy, the girls jumping excitedly and followed off in the direction of that same woman.

"Hey, the show's about to start so I'm going to have to get going. I promise we'll catch up after the show. Just wait beside the black bus with fire-star-things on the back?" Lance nodded but before Keith could fully let his body turn he ran right back, "were you getting drinks? Before I bumped into you?"

Lance nodded.

"Ah, okay. What were you going to get?"

"Err, two waters and an orange jui- what are you doing?"

But Keith didn't look behind him as he made his way to the back of the truck, gaining a few huffs from the queuer's tapping their feet impaciently. He knocked on the door where a large man answered with a grin on his face as he pulled the other into a bone-crushing hug. They talked for just a little bit before the server walked into the truck and came out with five waters and an orange juice. As Keith pulled out his wallet to pay, the large man shoved the money back, ushering away a Keith who yelled with protests high in his throat, but the man locked the truck door before he could say anything else. The whole scene, made Lance chuckle.

Keith jogged back over with a defeated expression but handed over the drinks to Lance.

"You didn't have to do this, man, but thanks. I would offer to pay you back but… seems that guy was a really nice dude." Lance smiled.

"Nice? Yes. Annoying? Also, yes. Seriously! That guy never lets me pay for anything! Heck, I even snuck the money I owed him once under a bag of bread buns but he actually tracked me down and shoved it back at me and _then_ gave me the same bread buns!" He groaned.

"Hey, it's Christmas! Maybe he just wants to help people. That, or he wants to make up for bad karma."

Keith breathed out in amusement, scuffing his shoes against the frozen dirt. Then, from the enormous speakers towering over the field, a voice shook the ground with slight feedback from the cheap mic's.

 _"_ _What a night we have ahead! I bet you're all excited for the fireworks, am I right?"_

The festival grounds erupted in cheers.

 _"_ _Good, good. Well, before that, we're going to kick-start the night with a_ _ **fiery**_ _performance. Something unlike you've ever seen! Because this time, it isn't_ _ **just any**_ _fire show- it's_ _ **the**_ _fire show of a life time! Traveling from town to town, city to city, state to state- ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, in only_ _ **three minutes**_ _will your eyes be witnessing the_ _ **breath-taking**_ _performance of none other than the Kogane's! A family of burning flames! So-"_

Keith's ears picked up, but his face cringed at the whole introduction and he shot up to look around for his best escape as the commentator mentioned something about health and safety, "sorry!" He yelled, zipping off through the masses of people heading towards the stage, "remember! Black bus with the fire-stars!"

"I will! Good luck!"

But Keith didn't hear him, too far into the crowd.

Lance joined hands with his two kids and they pulled near the stage as to where the family had just run off to. Fortunately for him, said bus was only a short distance from the stage and looking over, he could see Keith and Olivia talking, Keith with such a dad-face of concern. They'd changed outfits with Olivia in shiny black tights, a leotard and it seemed also like her father's gloves too- Keith in tight, black pants and calf-length boots without a shirt. Lance gulped. His chest was just as hot as he had suspected earlier. He wouldn't be surprised if the women in the crowd wolf-whistled him as the show started.

Olivia's face was full of care in response to her father's, she pulled him into a hug which, even from where Lance was standing, he could tell Keith crushed her way too tightly, but she didn't seem to care. From just around the corner, Peggy seemed to walk from the DJ booth with headphones strung around her neck, looking up and running into the hug too. Then, from out the bus, the same woman from earlier brought out a little girl by the hand- her hair long like her eldest sister, but platted on both sides in pigtails. Her hair like everyone else's: as dark as the night. Skin as fair and pale as a smooth quartz ball. Lance couldn't see her eyes exactly, but he knew what colour they shone. Her chubby little legs ran from the woman over to the group hug and launched herself into her dad's arms. They remained like that for a long time that Lance had to look away because it felt rude to intrude on such a intimate moment, even if he was quite far away.

Mateo pulled on his sleeve, bringing him out of the trance.

"Papi, I can't see."

Lance smiled warmly, bending down for the child to climb onto his back, his soft head of hair leaning on his shoulder.

"You good, bud?" He asked jolting his son's weight into a more comfortable position.

Mateo hummed a, _"yes"_ , into his ear. Lance looked over to his daughter with a nostalgic smile on her face.

"Marisa? You want a piggyback too?" He teased, earning a playful punch to his upper arm.

"Yeah right! Papá, I'm _twelve_."

"And?", he chuckled darkly knowing the reaction that was coming, "you'll still always be Papi's little girl."

"Papá!" She screeched as if he had just condemned her to the worst possible fate imaginable.

Lance only smirked as he saw her attempt to hide her smile in the oversized hood. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, holding Mateo with only his left arm, pulling her close next to him. She leaned into her father and suddenly, it felt like nothing in the world could harm them, the world around them had frozen.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **SO. I already have over 10,000 words of this written but it's not done unfortunately.**  
 **I'm sorry Christmas had just been... but I hope you can still enjoy the Christmassy vibes!**  
 **I actually came up with the idea on 5th November (bombfire night here in the UK!) but shrugged it off. Then on the 23rd December I realised that:**  
 **'oh shit. I forgot about my annual Christmas story' and ended up with this xD**  
 **I hope you stick around, I really do! I know im not the best writer out there but I hope you can still enjoy what I put out :) the next chapter is already written so maybe tomorrow or the day after that will I release it xx**

 **Comment on what you thought, what you hope to come! And ill see you soon :)**

 **-L.E-Rae _x_**


	2. Chapter 2 - Fire Dance

**Author's Note:** **Here's the music used to inspire this chapter:**

 _watch?v=wmvjJ2Eaj50 &list=PLtI_hUhuaOILMfwsZEnqU7_1JnMp71yvf&t=0s&index=3_

 **Or, just type in on YouTube: _"_** _All I Want For Christmas Is You (Onderkoffer Trap Remix)"_ By, 'Trap Bomb'

 **You don't have to give it a listen :) (not like you can read the whole chapter in the time it takes for that song to finish but ya know).**

 **P.S: If you do listen to it, just imagine that it doesn't repeat** _"mother fucker"_ **towards the end :)**

 **Enjoy the Chapter!**

 **-L.E-Rae _x_**

* * *

 _ **"Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your sole on fire."**_

 _ **-Jennifer Lee**_

* * *

 **Chapter 2 - Fire Dance**

The same commentator from earlier sounded through the speakers with the familiar feedback making him wince. The introduction was wordy, but Lance guessed it was written to get your heart racing because his certainly was. Soon, all the flood lights shining from earlier blacked out, only the village's street lights slightly illuminating the field, allowing the stars above to sit freely in the black canvas. Then, the music started.

At first, Lance thought it was the commentator again, but the spoken line faded into a light dancing of piano notes. It only took him a few momentary seconds to catch onto the tune of Mariah Carey as soon as both Keith and Olivia took to the stage, the former to Lance's right, the other on his left.

Their expressions were determined, in the mind-set for the stage, expecting the first line of the song to play-

 _'_ _Merry Christmas ya' filthy animal!'_

Keith looked straight to the DJ booth in shock where Peggy leaned over the top to blow a cheeky kiss down to her family and the crowd in fits of laughter. The two performers missed their cue from the initial confusion as to what had happened, rushing forward as to where they should have been.

 _'_ _I don't want a lot for Christmas-'_

Keith held his daughters left hand in his right and twirled until she fell limp onto his arms, slingshotting back up onto her feet as they continued to the other end of the stage.

 _'_ _There is just one thing I need-'_

There was no dancing, but the two still kept to the beat, removing their poi from where they were strung on a wall filled with other equipment.

 _'_ _I don't care about the presents-'_

Still in time with the slow music, they seemed to do their own thing to warm up their muscles by swinging them around, pulling them back sharply until they shared a look, saying they were ready.

 _'_ _Underneath the Christmas tree-'_

They both travelled across the stage to where a pit of fire danced in the lowed middle.

 _'_ _I just want you for my own-'_

Keith lit his poi and stepped over to where he stood in the beginning.

 _'_ _More than you could ever know-'_

As did Olivia.

 _'_ _Make my wish come-'_

They began twirling the fire in regular circles on both sides, occasionally bringing the flame across their bodies and snapping it back against the side it should be on. Despite the simplistic moves, the crowd muttered around Lance about how beautiful it was. Some children laughed and giggled excitedly, two twins jumping up and down like they were about to blast away.

 _'_ _-truuuuueeee~~'_

To the crowd's amazement they pulled the poi to the front of their bodies letting the fire twirl and dazzle and crackle, twisting and swirling together in a circular star with only one hand. As the high note ducked and dived in pitches, father and daughter swung the ignited star to-and-fro over their heads, threw their legs and around their torso's, so calmly Lance was slightly jealous.

 _'_ _All I want for-'_

Then, they began to walk together in strides, the fire still spiralling as they tossed it around themselves.

 _'—_ _Christmaaaaaaaaaas~~'_

Olivia bent towards her father as he leaned back unnaturally far, fire-hand still high in the air, giving it a few extra swings to keep it spinning like a rocketing carrousel.

 _'—_ _iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiss~~'_

This time, it was Keith leaning against Olivia except this time, handed her poi over to her father's free hand once he'd pecked her on the forehead, almost unnoticed, since the crowd was so mesmerized by the spinning light and bodily contortions. As he leaned back up when the pitch changed, she went into a backwards walkover until they both faced each other once again. Keith threw Olivia's poi back towards her as they spun calmer where they both replaced the winding star back to the original singular circle.

 _'—_ _youuuuu-'_

The note sounded normal for a few beats, as did the fire, until stage lights beamed down in reds, oranges, whites and blues as the music dropped and the crowd burst out into gasps. The two skipped backwards in small jumps making the fire pull and push and bump and swirl in zig-zags along their fronts. Once they reached the edge of the stage, they dropped and swung back up many times like a malfunctioning robot, having the fireballs rise up and down erratically yet slowly, having gravity work them more than their arms themselves. Then- the beat dropped completely.

They shifted backwards then forwards into an extremely high round-off. They and fire landed with a bounce as they fell and caught themselves as the fire wrapped itself around them briefly, before unwrapping and repeating.

After many beats of the same move the two spun around once leaning as they threw the poi to each other swapping over continuing that until the set of beats dropped and rose once more. They skipped in a theatrical rhythm towards the front of the stage, sharing a subtle glance before stopping the poi mid-air, pulling the strings shorter in sync. It spun once again, but faster, faster and faster and faster, both blurry flames pulling together closer to their face- backs bending. The performers' wrists twirled to the point of an agonistic pain, the flames nearing their faces- the music dropped, as did the poi into a bucket of water, smoke rising with the steam in majestic clouds around them.

 _'_ _Feel it comin' in the air—'_

 _'_ _Hear the screams from everywhere-'_

The lights dimmed back to where they were at the start and Lance didn't miss the way Olivia's knees buckled slightly as she bent down to gulp on the water at the edge of the stage beside all the other equipment. Giving a grin and a thumbs up to her dad as he too, put down his already half drank bottle, they retreated to the edge of the stage pulling out what seemed like two smaller poles, which connected once they slotted the sides together.

 _'_ _I'm addicted to the thrill-'_

It was only then did Lance realise the change in song to Rihanna and JAY Z's _"Run This Town"_ melding in very nicely with the rest of the remix. As Keith and Olivia began warming up like they did for the first part with the poi, Lance looked to Mateo and Marisa both eyes wide in awe.

"You enjoying this?"

Mouth still agape, Mateo nodded eyes fixed comically on the stage from his shoulder. Marisa however, looked to him like she'd just seen a chest of treasure for her to keep and pointed frantically at the stage, "this is amazing, Papá! I-I-I can't believe you know someone this awesome!"

 _'_ _It's a dangerous love affair-'_

Lance cocked an eyebrow, "who? _Keith_? P-lease! I'm much cooler than that mullet."

 _'_ _Can't be scared when it goes down-'_

Marisa looked amused, "can _you_ spin fire with no fear?"

"W-well…"

 _'_ _Got a problem tell me now-'_

"Didn't think so." She turned back to the stage with a quick flip of her curly, brown locks, but leaned back into her father's arm like a silent peace offering. Lance gladly accepted.

 _'_ _Only thing that's on my mind-'_

Staring back to the action, both ends of the poles were alight with lapping flames, flying above the two's head, again, in a simple circle.

 _'_ _Is who's gonna run this town tonight-'_

The beat drops once again and he spars a glance to Peggy up in the box jamming with her head to the beat, pressing a few things as the lights switch back on in hysterics. Through the build-up, the spins sped up as they moved backwards away from the crowd. Then the beat dropped and hell broke loose once again with flips towards the edge of each's side of the stage.

"Oh my god, Papá! Jingle bells?!" Marisa shook Lance's arms as the note of _'tonight'_ was drawn out into a funky jingle bell's rock out. The crowd went wild.

Olivia and Keith pulled the stick apart into its two forms juggling three as the other threw across the third. Then the pitch broke low and Keith spun towards the back of the stage throwing Olivia his other two batons for her to juggle in unique and dangerous ways.

With everything that was going on, Lance didn't really notice Keith leave. He only really realised when he returned with a hoop on a wheeled stand as Olivia killed two of the flames, throwing one of the two remaining back at her dad. In sync with a bow, they ignited the hoop in a surge of orange disposing of the flame by swallowing it. The crowd lapped it up.

They were throwing the hoop, catching it, swinging it around themselves _everywhere_. Almost like a dance-battle, but with fire. Each move performed, the other copied and over time each got more deadly. Neither seized.

With the crowd high in whoops and cheers, clapping onto the beat once the music changed once more to a more of a humming drum, low and hungry for a build-up as the two dampened the hoop and replaced it with a new one of which Olivia was quick to jump into with a front handspring. At this point, it was only the girl on stage, Keith departed with the old ring and nowhere to be seen. Then this new hoop rose slower at the start, faster with the music later on. Olivia twisted and spun, bending herself in moves of the song, as elegant as an eagle but as fierce as a phoenix. Next, she was building up momentum with a swing forwards and back so as the beat dropped again, she launched her body through the air landing in another hoop, further back than the first. The hoop lowered down to a platform where she stood on shaky legs. She stumbled slightly and the crowd gasped as she neared the edge, but she regained her posture and paced back as if for a running jump.

And that is what she did just after she watched the bar be engulphed in flames, only two hand holds visible. With a sigh of relief from the crowd, she landed the jump, swinging herself onto the up-side of the bar, spreading her legs into an air-split, pausing for a dramatic effect and then snapping them shut like scissors, falling gracefully round and round the bar with such ease Lance gawped. Then the bar lowered itself to a much safer (but not as safe as it could have been) height. With a flash of the lighting, the flames raving around her delicate fingers blanked out into nothing but smoke as she finished up on her final roll.

Olivia pulled herself up so she stood appropriately on the cooling bar awaiting the rope suddenly thrown from the ceiling to cease its swinging. It was then that Keith flipped himself back onto the stage, showing off every gymnastic move in the book- some Lance had never even _seen_ before. There was something off… but he couldn't put a name to it.

When Marisa was seven, she'd applied for gymnastic classes but quit after a year and a half. She'd been to a few minor competitions, and the house TV was almost _always_ switched to championships when that show was running. So, Lance had (not a genius level but) a fair level of knowledge for the sport. And the way Keith sprung into a few springs and landed them… it didn't look as fluent as it should have been. But Lance saved this minor detail and smiled a little wider.

Olivia gripped to the rope and wrapped it around her slim, yet muscly figure then the music sped up and the entire crowd's hearts were racing beyond imaginable. The rope held her and she began rolling down vertically as the knot she had made earlier held her in place. She neared the ground at a plummeting rate and Lance thought he'd have to look away- but Keith backflipped beneath her, holding her up like a trophy, one hand between her shoulder blades, the other on her thighs. Their chests heaved and sweat beads bled from their brows so dense, you must have been able to thread them on a string.

The music stopped. Stopped for real this time. The crowd erupted in screams of applaud. Lance looked at his children who were in hysterical clapping. Lance gazed at the stage at first in awe. Then his wide mouth changed to a wide grin and he cheered too.

Keith and Olivia neared the edge of the stage, smiling so wide, Lance betted their cheeks ached like nothing else. Olivia was stumbling again, shaking with adrenaline and Keith placed an arm around his daughter supportively. They both bowed shakily and the crowd picked up again with praise.

Olivia looked up to her dad and threw her arms around him, they embraced threw the rest of the gratitude from the festival grounds- even through the commentator's thanks and compliments. And with one final bow and wave they retreated from the stage.

Well… Lance could have been wrong, but he could have sworn Keith made eye contact as the crowd began to head towards the food stands once more, ready for the fireworks display, and gave one soft look from him to the bus. Whether it was or not, didn't matter because the three were invited anyway. Plus, Mateo and Marisa were ecstatic to see him and Olivia so they pushed their way through the families gathering and talking either about family-stuff or the breath-taking performance every eye in his village had just been lucky enough to have witnessed.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** **… I've messed up haven't I?**

 **This chapter WAS written, I swear! I just... I forgot to upload it...**

 **So, so sorry.**

 **There wasn't really much happening in this chapter... but I promise a hint into Keith and Lance's back stories next chapter! So look out for that!**

 **Anyway, take care! I'll upload very soon! Promise!**

 **-L.E-Rae _x_**


	3. Chapter 3 - Fireworks

_**"What was important wasn't the fireworks,**_ _ **it was that we were**_

 _ **together**_ _ **this evening,**_

 _ **together in this place,**_

 _ **looking up into the sky at the same time."**_

 _ **-Banana Yoshimoto**_

* * *

 **Chapter 3 - Fireworks**

Lance, Mateo and Marisa stood behind the fencing separating them from the black family bus when the adult called out his old friend's name. The woman from earlier answered by saying he wasn't allowed back there until a familiar voice called out behind the vehicle.

"It's okay Macey! I told him to!"

Macey looked sceptical but sighed, and allowed them through the metal gate, leading them around to where the voice originated.

Keith was sat on the steps leading to the bus's door, a first aid kit laid next to him which instantly turned Lance's smile into a concerned frown. Behind him, Olivia was stood against a kitchen top inside the home, sharing his same look of worry. Peggy was keeping her little sister busy inside but she'd look to her dad slightly scared and then back to the smaller one, trying not to worry her too.

"Marisa?" He looked to his daughter, "wait here and keep an eye on Mateo, yeah?"

She didn't ask why and just simply obliged, bringing out her fist to play ' _rock, paper, scissors_ '.

Lance walked over carefully, raising his hand in a wave and squatting down to Keith's level, "hey, man. What happened?"

Olivia was the one to answer, "he burned his hand as he was taking the fire-hoop off stage."

"Yeah, but it's not that bad, Lance. Seriously, it's just a small blister. You're all over exaggerating." But Keith didn't make eye contact.

"Show me your hand, Keith."

"Why?"

"If it's not that bad, then prove it."

Keith hesitated but knew there was no way out of this really, "well, it's not as bad as it could have been."

Lance's shoulders untensed with a sigh. The burn was a large one, and yeah, it wouldn't even leave a faint scar after it healed, so it was manageable, but it also looked angry. It wasn't thick or seriously deep, just long as it reached from one end of his palm to the other. Well, it wasn't as terrifying as he's originally thought, at least.

"He's gonna be okay." Lance looked to Olivia and Peggy who was listening in from inside the bus. "Do you mind grabbing a bowl and a glass of cold water and some pain killers, Olivia? Oh, and a blanket?"

She nodded and picked herself up towards the right of the doorway.

Keith moved along on the step for Lance to take a seat once a few beats of silence rang past from the faint music of the festival. Sitting closer to the man, Lance could see how cold he was. Teeth chittering, lips faintly blue and the vapour leaking whenever he breathed. On the surface just above them was the fire dancer's t-shirt, so he pulled that off making it over Keith's arms and head, carefully trying to avoid agitating the burn. Lance looked behind him to see where Olivia was with that blanket. But she wasn't even in the kitchen.

"You think we can move inside?" He asked with an arm around the smaller man, trying to warm him up.

"There's no point. In there is just as cold as out here if that's you're getting at."

Lance sighed, shuffling to pull off his coat and drape it over the other's shoulders. A tsunami-sized shiver ran through him as soon as the frigid December air slapped his skin, but he could handle it. He still had his jumper and about three t-shirts underneath anyway.

"So,", Lance began, wrapping his arms around him once more- Keith just leaned into it. In all honesty, it's not like they hadn't done this before. Back in high school, it wasn't just out of the blue people thought they were dating. In their younger years, they had gotten up to a lot of gay stuff in the eyes of other people if you didn't know the boys' humour. But, like, no-homo though. "you burn like this much?"

Keith chuckled lightly, "no, not really. I think the last time I did something like this must have been at least… three years ago maybe?"

"Is that how you got that kick-ass scar on your face?"

Keith reached up in surprise to his right cheek as if only just remembering that was there, "oh, right. Nah, I did this when I was twenty-five. There was this gasoline spillage I had to clear up. I was running late for a show and didn't bother to change my shirt so some of it must have spilled on me or something because before I knew it, I was on fire. But that's the only one I've ever had to be hospitalised for so..."

They smiled at each other kindly, "well, it's still kick-ass anyway. You could scare off gangs with a mark like that."

This made Keith laugh heartily and as contagious as yawning, Lance was set off too.

Olivia came back with said items in hand and raised an amused eyebrow at her father.

"Thank you, Olivia." Lance said as he took the tablets, setting them into the slight gap between the two men's thighs. Keith put his hand in the water only wincing at how cold it was, even after the blanket was wrapped around him.

Lance giggled into his gloved fist, "you look like an Eskimo."

" _You're_ the one who made me like this, Lance."

"And? You still look like one."

"Freak you." Keith attempted to swear, but the mass of children present, his dad-self couldn't bare the after-guilt that would plague him for the rest of the night.

"Freak you, too."

After ten minutes, Lance was satisfied with how long the burned hand had soaked and begun using the anti-septic wipes from the First Aid Kit to nurse the area, being thankful that no more blisters had formed with the small one at the start. Marisa and Mateo had made their way over near the beginning, being the restless two they were, and now sat in the bus with Peggy and her younger sister, of which Lance had learned her name, Sofia. They were currently playing a game of hang man, Marisa in the lead at present growing an instant liking to Peggy's competitive attitude. Olivia however, stayed with her father and this man she barely knew. Almost like she was watching over protectively, ready to hit Lance, should anything go wrong.

"When do you have your next show?" Lance looked at the two Kogane's and back to the gauze he was gently wrapping around the red hand.

"Not until New Year's Eve." Olivia peered over Lance's shoulder to get a better look on why her father was flinching ever so slightly. "Right, dad?"

"Yeah."

Lance hummed, "okay. Your hand should have healed in around a week so, try and resist using it as much as possible. Olivia, I'm putting you in charge because I know what your dad's like when it comes to being 'Mr. I-Can-Do-It-All-Without-You-Go-Away' Kogane."

Olivia chuckled and the other just pouted unamused, "yessir!", she saluted elbowing Keith teasingly.

"Make sure to keep it clean, change the dressing- yada, yada, yada. If you forget, there are loads of article's online about it."

Keith smiled warmly that even the cold nipping his tanned skin seemed to fade for a moment and for some reason, that sensation seemed to only dissipate from everywhere but his cheeks. "Thanks, Lance. I'm glad I bumped into you again."

His cheeks only grew warmer, "yeah, me too."

They gazed at each other for a long time, comfortable trapped in each other's eyes. It had been over sixteen years since Lance had taken a really good luck into those twilight irises, each fleck a new shade, some blanked out by the shadows or light depending where he was looking.

He'd missed his best friend, really. Lance'd think about him a little every now and then when something in his day would remind him of the black-clothed, hippo-loving, dark-humoured, lactose intolerant guy he'd grown up with through the hardest years of his younger life. But he'd just completely ridden off the map a few weeks after their last meeting at that café. And no one really knew why. When he'd tried to ring him one time, he'd changed his number and social media wasn't something Keith owned back in 2002. His dorm room too- an apartment somewhere in their childhood city- but that was only a guess, really. Pidge and Hunk couldn't keep up with him either, and they'd only ever really met Shiro a handful of times here and there so even he may as well have been non-existent too. He'd snooped around the Garrison campus a couple of times but always got kicked out because of their strict regulations. It got to the point where he'd follow students from the other's collage just to ask them if they knew him or had seen him anywhere. Most of the time he was bunked off, but only once did he actually get a decent answer, however it didn't really make any sense to him at the time. The snarky girl mentioned something along the lines of, _'yeah I know him. Well- used to. He was in my math last semester but moved up. Can't say I've seen him anywhere though.'_ She chuckled almost mockingly, _'probably on daddy-duty. Hmmf! Doesn't really have much time for anything else but that and studies these days.'_ Before Lance could ask what she had meant by 'daddy-duty', she'd ran off with the rest of her friends.

Being the dirty-minded teenager he was, he'd instantly put Keith's disappearance down to fucking some girl. And… he was _mad_. _Really_ mad _._ He was so offended that the guy just ran off and left him behind because of some random _fling_! They were supposed to be _best friends._ And _best friends_ didn't do that to each other. At least, not without _talking._ So after he'd gotten it stuck in his head that Keith no longer needed him around- he stopped looking. He gave up. And as much as it had pained him at the time, he forced himself to move on.

However, he'd look back on it years and years later when Marisa was first born and realised that the girl in the street probably meant that Keith was a _dad_. And for a few days after that, he'd felt nothing but guilt for not being there for him. Being a father at twenty-three was as daunting enough. But Keith would have been, what? Eighteen when he got the mother pregnant? Nineteen when the kid was born? For all he knew, the mother left him to take care of the baby all by himself (because Lance knew Keith, and that guy would _never in a million years_ leave a kid to struggle after all he'd been through himself). Plus, Lance had a wife back then! He had his own house, a well-payed job and a family to fall back on if things got rough. Keith? Back then, he'd have had none of that other than Shiro but even then…

Then, Lance an overwhelming feeling of realisation made his brain hurt and he shot his gaze to Olivia.

"O-Olivia?"

She nodded.

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen. Seventeen in June."

 _Olivia was Keith's child. That's why he left._

He whipped his gaze back to Keith. But he wasn't scared. Or ashamed. If anything, he looked sympathetic for _Lance_ sat next to him.

"You… you were-"

"Eighteen? Yeah. That's why you never heard from me for sixteen years."

"But why? Why didn't you let us help you? Be there for you? We looked for you for months but you'd just completely disappeared. We-"

"I know this sounds really strange now but, I guess I was kinda embarrassed that I'd let it happen. I generally thought you guys would've yelled or teased or disowned me as a friend so instead of taking the risk that you'd shut me out, I shut myself out because it hurt less. Plus, I had to be there for Olivia and… and her mother… at the time. Even _I_ don't understand my logic, even now. But by the time I realised how stupid I was being- it was too late to find you all again. But I'm happy now. That's all that matters."

Keith smiled warmly again and all Lance could do was smile back. He knew there was more to this story than he was letting on because he knew that when it came to revealing deep insecurities, Keith was a tough nut to crack. It took him three years of their tight friendship to find out about what it was like being in the system, the tales and where he had been. Lance knew Keith's mother and father were dead, but even to this day never knew why. But he was fine with the secrets because sometimes, you _could_ only really trust yourself.

In Keith's head anyway.

"Papi!" Starting his body up right, Lance shot his gaze to inside the bus to Mateo bouncing his little legs on the spot and pointing to the window, "the fireworks are starting!"

The man on the speaker confirmed it as both the McClain's and Kogane's jostled their way from inside and around the bus to outside the front of the vehicle. The whole village erupted in a countdown from ten. Lance and everyone joining in on _seven_. By the time they reached _one_ , the sky blossomed in storms of colour. Fiery sparks whipped through the night, smothering over the natural canvas of stars glistening from amongst the shadows. From his right, Mateo pulled on his sleeve, nudging his head towards a Keith with a shuddering Sofia giggling atop his head. So, as he climbed on, he noticed Keith spare a glance in his direction, a soft one. A look Lance would love to get used to.

Vermillion sieged the black under its vivid grasp and the same sparks lit up in the amethyst lagoon of the smaller man's eyes. Lance watched enticingly as the green fell to gold to red to blue and then to purple. He didn't even need to look at the sky, the display was sparking right there next to him, unbeknown to the one the eyes belonged to as he stared towards the sky like everyone else. However, unbeknown to _Lance_ , that _wasn't_ the case.

In fact, behind him, only a couple of steps away, two particular Kogane's and his own eldest daughter grinned far too devilishly to match heavenly scene playing out above.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** **Chapter out... it's mediocre I guess xD**

 **Just to let you know, I'm planning out a Klance AU and I KNOW that I haven't been sticking to any work for like... well... I've NEVER finished a story...**

 ***sweats nervously*  
But this one, as well as the other I'm planning, I will try my absolute hardest to do so! My new years resolution is to finish a story completely, anyway! **

**It's going to be called, "If Birds Can Fly", and if you like Zombie Apocalypse AU's then I know you will like this too!**

 **If you've ever watched Bird Box or read the book... well... it's going to be set in that Universe! A different story, just placed in the same time with the VLD characters!**

 **Like I said, you like zombie's..? you're gonna LOVE this I swear! You don't even need any knowledge of Bird Box since you'd be learning with the characters!**

 **Anyway... I'm babbling xD If you want to find out more, my name on Voltron Amino is 'L.E-Rae'! I have a group chat open and you can help me plan it out! The people on there are so joyous, kind and so helpful!**

 **But, yeah. Leave a comment on what you thought of this chapter! I love hearing from you all!**

 **-L.E-Rae _x_**


End file.
